Loving How You Are With Me
by CassyR5
Summary: "We should kiss." "What?" "For the video. We should kiss." Ross and Laura spend the day in LA together to film a music video. Raura. One-Shot.


**Summary: "We should kiss." "What?" "For the video. We should kiss." Ross and Laura spend the day in LA together to film a music video. Raura. One-Shot.**

 **A/N: Idk what this is. I just really want Ross and Laura to make a video together sometime in the future. I also really love the way Becky G and Austin Mahone filmed the "Lovin' So Hard" video, so I decided to follow that style. Because it was a really cute video. I hope that this is, too.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Austin & Ally, "The Only Exception" by Paramore or "Lovin' So Hard" by Becky G (title).**

* * *

The first thing Laura sees when she opens her front door this morning is Ross holding a camera in front of her as he records himself saying hello.

Laura glares at him, albeit playfully. "What are you doing?"

He lowers the camera, but doesn't shut it off. "Is that really how you're gonna greet me after not seeing each other for nearly 6 months?"

She shakes her head, then steps toward him and envelopes him in a hug.

"It's nice too see you again," she says. Pulling back, she repeats, "Now I ask again - what are you doing?"

He gestures past her, so she holds open her door a little more as he steps inside. When she gives the camera another pointed look, he sighs and shuts it off.

"We're filming our music video today, so I thought I'd get a head start on it," he explains.

"Oh," she says sheepishly. "Sorry."

He just shrugs. "It's cool," he replies. Pointing outside, he says, "So, are you ready to go?"

She nods. Grabbing her bag, she follows him back outside and to his car. As he pulls onto the street and towards their first location of the day, Laura grabs the camera from where Ross sat it between them, then turns it on and hits record.

"So, Ross," she starts, "where are we headed to at this fine hour in the morning?"

He glances at her out of the corner of his eye and laughs. "What are you doing?" he asks.

"Getting a head start on our video," she says, repeating what he said only moments before. "Now answer my question."

He just shakes his head, then says, "We're heading to the studio to meet up with the _real_ filmmakers of this video, then going to IHOP for breakfast to start filming."

"IHOP?" she questions.

"Well, yeah. They said we could plan what we were going to do today so everything looks more 'authentic,' so that's what I'm doing," he explains.

"And IHOP was the first place on your list?"

He nods. "Thought I'd tap into a little Austin Moon today," he says.

Laura just laughs. "Whatever you say, _Austin_."

"Whatever, _Ally_."

They laugh together. Ross decides to turn on the radio, so Laura turns off the camera again. They sit talking and listening to the music until they finally arrive at the studio. There, they only have to explain to the director where they going, and they're off again.

* * *

IHOP is a little busier than they'd hoped for when they first arrive, but after talking to the owner and getting a small section at the back cleared for them, they're set.

They sit down and go over the menu quietly, ordering when they're ready. After their waitress takes their menus away, Ross pulls out the camera again and starts recording Laura, who's currently reading something on her iPad.

"Hey, this is supposed to be a date, Laur," he says. "Are you bored already?"

She looks up, shocked at first, then relaxed when she sees the camera. Nevertheless, she turns off her iPad and puts it back in her purse.

"First off all, need I remind you that this isn't a real date, Ross? It's for a video," she says. "And second, why are you filming me? We have a film crew with us right now filming everything on much bigger cameras than yours."

He frowns, but doesn't turn it off. Instead, he says, "That may be, but with this camera, I have the chance to get up close and personal with the one and only Laura Marano." Then he zooms in and out on her face on the camera, laughing every time he zooms out and she's making a different silly expression. Calming down, he stops zooming and puts the camera back to normal.

"Alright. Let's play...Hardcore Questioning with Ross Lynch," he suggests.

She gapes at him, then reaches for the camera, but he pulls out of the way before she can take it.

"That's _my_ game!" she exclaims.

"Well, I'm borrowing it for today," he says. "Now let me ask my questions."

She sighs. "Fine. But they'll never be as hardcore as mine."

He just laughs. "Well see about that." Before she can argue again, he continues. "So, Laura, here's your first question: what...is...your...favourite colour?"

She laughs. " _That's_ your idea of a hardcore question?"

"I'm just warming up. They'll get harder as we go."

She pauses. "What do _you_ think my favourite colour is?" she asks instead.

"Uh, no, only I get to ask the questions here."

"Are you saying you don't know it?"

"Of course not. I know what your favourite colour is."

"Then it shouldn't be a problem answering the question."

He sighs. "Fine. It's red. Now moving on." He pauses. "Question 2: how's your debut album coming along so far?"

"Better."

"Is that your answer?"

"No, I was just judging your idea of what a hardcore question is again."

"Just answer it."

She laughs. "Well, my album is coming along great. I'm almost done recording. In fact, we're going to the studio later today to finish up recording our duet for it," she answers.

"I thought we weren't going to tell the world about that until after it's released," he says.

"No one's gonna hear this except for you, Ross."

He laughs. "Okay. Final Hardcore Question for Miss Laura Marano. I don't think you're ready for this."

She smiles. "I think I can take it."

"Alright." He pauses. "Laura. Have you ever...developed a crush on one of your co-stars?"

She thinks for a second. "Hm."

"What?"

"That is a hardcore question."

"I told you."

"You did." She pauses. "Well, Ross, to answer your hardcore question, I have to tell you that I have – "

She stops when she notices something off to the side, and he turns around to see that their food has arrived.

Turning back to Laura, he says, "That's quite the timing."

She nods in agreement. "It was."

"Finish this later?"

She just nods again, but she's already moved her attention on to the food now in front of her. "Sure, Ross."

He smiles, then turns off his camera and moves his attention on to his meal, too.

* * *

After breakfast, the director suggests they head into a different part of the city to get shots of them walking around a bit. They agree, then tell them where they want to go and head off.

"Don't you think The Grove might be too busy a place to shoot a music video in?" Laura asks as they drive.

Ross just shrugs. "I think it's so busy that no one will take notice of us trying to make a music video."

She shakes her head. "You have some strange logic."

He laughs. "But you know I'm right."

And he is. The film crew only carry one camera with them because of the large crowds and Ross takes out his, but the only reason anyone might give them a second glance is because of who they are and not what they're doing.

As they're walking, Ross points his camera down to record himself taking Laura's hand in his, then shifts it back up to catch her expression as she looks over at him.

She laughs. "Having fun?" she asks.

He smiles. "Yep," he says, the turns his camera off. Tugging on Laura's hand, he says, "Come on. Let's find a place to look around."

She smiles, then lets him drag her around the mall a bit before pulling her inside a music store. This one just sells old vinyls, so they spend some time searching through them and showing each other some of the ones they might like before they head back into the mall and into another store. Laura ends up finding a book store, so they go in and search the shelves for some time until the director tells them they should leave before it gets really packed at lunch.

As they're leaving, though, they're stopped when someone lightly taps Laura on the arm. Looking to the side, she sees two girls about 15 years old looking at them nervously.

"Hi," she says.

"Sorry to bother you," the first girl says. "My friend and I were just wondering if we could get a picture with you guys? We're really big fans of your show."

Laura looks up at Ross next to her, who smiles.

"Sure. That's not a problem," he says.

The girls smile, then stand by them as they take their picture. As they leave, the second girl takes notice of how Ross is still holding Laura's hand and speaks up.

"Are you guys dating?" she asks.

Suddenly, they too remember they're holding hands, and pull apart.

Laura shakes her head. "No, we're not," she says. "We're just filming something together."

"Oh," the girl says. Then they say a final goodbye and walk away.

Alone, Ross considers taking Laura's hand again, but decides against it for now. Though they both know it's just for a video that will be released in a few weeks time, it's better less people know about it before it's finished. Plus, as much as he doesn't mind people _wanting_ them to be together, they don't need anyone else getting the wrong idea that they are. They're just really good friends, and that's all they'll ever be.

Once they're out of the mall and at Ross' car, the director asks them where they had in mind for their next location. Thinking back on how busy the mall was, Laura suggests somewhere less crowded. Then they get in the car and drive to it.

* * *

The park is definitely much less crowded than the mall when they arrive. Aside from the morning joggers and children running through the grass, it's vacant.

The moment they step out of the car and start walking along the pathway, Ross takes Laura's hand in his almost like it's second nature, then pulls out his camera again to film some of the scenery.

Laura laughs. "You really love that camera of yours," she points out.

He turns the camera to her before replying. "Yes, yes I do," he says seriously.

She just laughs again, then tightens her grip on his hand as they walk.

"Nice day out," she comments.

"It is," he replies, but it's only half-hearted, as he's fooling around with the settings on his camera.

She notices. "Looks even nicer without all those lenses in front of you."

He stops in his actions and looks up at her, then lets out a lighthearted laugh.

"Sorry," he says. "Just trying to add something extra to our video."

"I was just teasing, Ross," she says.

He lets go of her hand briefly to loop his arm around her shoulders and shake her gently. "I know," he says. He takes her hand again. Pointing forward, he adds, "Come on. I think there's a pond nearby. That'd be a nice touch."

She nods in agreement, then lets him lead the way. The park is emptier by the time they reach the pond, with no one around that might interrupt them as they continue to film (not that they mind the occasional fan encounter - it just slows down filming a little, is all).

Together, they stand in front of the pond as Ross films their view. Before he shuts of the camera, however, Laura reaches up and takes it from him, then turns it so that it faces them instead. Ross just laughs and lets her have her fun with it.

"Let's give the people an update. What are we currently doing, Ross?" she asks.

He laughs. "No one else is gonna hear this except for us, you know," he says instead.

She frowns. "The people are waiting for an update," she repeats.

He chuckles. "Alright then, _people_. We are currently at the park enjoying the wonderful view on this very nice day."

Laura nods. "It is really nice out."

Ross nods, then looks at the screen. "Wait, the people can't see me very well," he notices, then proceeds to tilt the camera up until he's in view. Of course, once he does this, _Laura's_ no longer in view.

She laughs. "Now the people can't see me!" she says.

He laughs, too, then moves the camera back down. "Here," he says. "I'll just come to your level, then." He leans down and wraps his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Hi," he says.

She laughs. "Hi," she replies.

"So this is what it's like to see the world from your height."

She scoffs. "Okay, I'm not _that_ short, Ross."

"Uh, yeah, you are, Laura."

"Whatever."

"Whatever to you, too."

They laugh, then look around quietly for a moment.

Then Ross speaks up.

"We should kiss," he suggests.

This takes Laura by surprise, and she leans away from him a little. "What?"

"For the video. We should kiss," he clarifies. "It _is_ a love song, after all."

"Oh. Right." She relaxes, then leans closer again. "That makes sense."

"For the video," he repeats, beginning to lean in.

"For the video," she repeats, following his lead.

He smiles, then closes the distance between them, kissing her slowly. He smiles into it, laughing a little as he pulls away, then kisses her quickly once more before leaning back.

She smiles, then looks back out at the pond. "Should we, uh, should we leave soon? We have to be at the studio in an hour, so..."

He nods, pulling his arms away and standing straight. "Yeah, we probably should. Let's get lunch first, and then we'll head to the studio."

"Sounds good," Laura says as she shuts off the camera and hands it back to him. Then, taking his hand in hers again, they walk back through the park to the car and drive to the studio.

* * *

"Wait, play that back again," Ross says to Laura in the studio, who hits play for them to hear the melody again. They decided to quickly stop at Chick-Fil-A to pick up lunch and bring it to the studio while they finished working on their duet instead. The song is almost done, but they want as much time as they can get to work on it. All that's left is recording the lyrics and then putting it all together. Today, they're just going to record a bit more to add to the video, then put everything together tomorrow. **(1)**

Once the song finishes playing, he smiles.

"It sounds really good," he says.

She nods in agreement. "It does."

Standing, he asks, "So, shall we go in and record, then?"

She stands with him. "Let's do it," she replies, then follows him into the recording booth. Once they're ready and the music begins, Laura starts singing.

 _When I was younger I saw my daddy cry  
And curse at the wind  
He broke his own heart and I watched  
As he tried to reassemble it_

 _And my momma swore  
That she would never let herself forget  
And that was the day that I promised  
I'd never sing of love if it does not exist_

 _But darling, you are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception_

When the second verse begins, Laura stops singing and Ross starts.

 _Maybe I know somewhere deep in my soul  
That love never lasts  
And we've got to find other ways to make it alone  
Or keep a straight face_

Laura joins in the background.

 _And I've always lived like this  
Keeping a comfortable distance  
And up until now I have sworn to myself  
That I'm content with loneliness_

They sing together at full volume.

 _Because none of it was ever worth the risk_

 _Well, you are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception_

The bridge starts, Laura singing the first half, then Ross.

 _I've got a tight grip on reality, but I can't  
Let go of what's in front of me here_

 _I know you're leaving in the morning when you wake up  
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream_

 _Oh-whoa-oh-ohh_

They sing together again, alternating each line.

 _You are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception_

They sing the song to the end together.

 _You are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception  
You are the only exception_

 _And I'm on my way to believing  
Oh, and I'm on my way to believing_

They finish, and instantly the film crew outside erupt into an applause. Laura lets out a laugh, and together her and Ross step out of the record booth. Ross decides to bow dramatically, then waves in the direction of Laura and applauds her. She laughs again, then bows, too.

Once everything dies down, the director suggests they go to one more location before calling it a day. They nod in agreement, then Ross pitches a place that they all think is great. And after gathering their things, they head out.

* * *

"You _would_ suggest the beach," Laura says once they arrive.

Ross nods, a smug expression on his face as he throws an arm over her shoulders while they walk. "But you have to admit it's the perfect place to end our video."

She wraps an arm around his waist, then nods. "Yeah, it is pretty perfect."

He smiles at her, then follows the film crew to an emptier section of the beach. There, they walk around the area a bit together, talking about anything that comes up and Ross occasionally filming them as they do so.

After about 10 minutes of this, he turns the camera off, sets it down on a large rock nearby, then begins untying his shoelaces.

Laura watches him, confused. "Uh, what are you doing?" she asks slowly.

He just glances at her and says, "We're going in the water. Come on."

"In our clothes?"

"Well, you might want to, yeah. Me?" He stands straight and pulls his shirt off, tossing it next to his shoes. "I don't have to."

She shakes her head. "You're ridiculous."

He just shrugs as he takes his phone of his pocket and sets it beside his camera. Then he grins at her. "Now, either you come in willingly, or I'm gonna have to carry you."

She glares at him. "You wouldn't."

He just smirks, and she only has a chance to turn around and take one step away before he catches her and picks her up in his arms, carrying her bridal-style. He doesn't start walking towards the water, though, giving her a chance to save herself.

"Wait, wait!" she shouts through the laughter.

"Will you go willingly?" he asks.

She nods vigorously. "I'll go, I'll go! Just put me down!"

He laughs. "Okay," he says. Don't try taking off on me."

She dramatically gasps. "I would never!"

"Yeah, you would," he says, but nevertheless sets her down. He watches her cautiously as she slowly slips off her shoes and t-shirt, leaving her in a tank top and shorts. She pulls her phone out of her pocket and sets it with his.

"You good?" he asks.

She nods. "Yep," she says.

"Okay..." He starts walking backwards towards the water, still keeping his eyes on her. She laughs at this, but follows him slowly. When it appears she won't ditch him, he turns around and reaches for her hand, but once he starts turning, she dashes off in the opposite direction, laughing.

He shakes his head. "I knew it," he mutters, then runs after her. She's surprisingly fast for someone so small, but he still manages to catch up to her just before she reaches the pier, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder.

"Ross!" she exclaims as he walks back to their spot. "Ross, put me down!"

He laughs. "Not a chance," he says, stepping into the cold water without much care. He wads through until the water is up past his knees, then moves Laura into his arms once more. The minute she's comfortable again - as comfortable as one can be while held in someone's arms - she hits his chest.

"Was that necessary?" she shouts over the waves. He can tell she's trying to sound serious, but he can see she's trying to contain her laughter as well, and the laughter is winning. She lets out a stifled giggle before he finally responds.

"You wouldn't come in willingly, so I had no choice but to take matters into my own hands - literally."

She shakes her head. "Well, can you put me down _now_?" she asks.

"If you insist," he says, then makes to let go of her. She sees this coming just in time, and wraps his arms around his neck to stop from falling. He laughs as he readjusts his grip on her.

"I don't mean drop me!" she shouts.

"You told me to put you down! That's what I was gonna do. Put you down. In the water."

She playfully glares at him, but it fades quickly when she realizes just how close they are now. He does, too, and she watches his gaze flicker slightly before beginning to lean in. She opens her mouth to tell him he can put her down again, but is cut off as his lips meet hers in a slow kiss. It takes her a second to register this, but then she closes her eyes and pulls him closer (or as close as she can while being held in his arms), enjoying the moment. He helps by lifting her up more to bring her close, then pulls back slowly (and sooner than either of them would like to admit).

He breaks the silence first.

"For the video," he says.

She's confused. "What?"

"The kiss. I kissed you for the video."

"Why do you keep saying that?"

He shrugs. "Just...a reminder."

"But I know it's for the video," she says.

He smiles. "I didn't say it was to remind you."

She lets out a half-hearted laugh. "What does tha -?" she starts, but is cut off by her own shriek as Ross decides now is the best time to let go of her, sending her splashing into the water at his feet.

She surfaces quickly, and he only had a chance to let out a laugh before she stands and grabs him by the arm, tugging him down with her. He falls, and she jumps on his back to keep him under, but he uses this to sit up and fall backwards, keeping _her_ under instead. She lets go of him, then swims away and pops up a couple feet over, splashing him. He makes to splash her too, but she stands and starts running back to the beach. He gets up and follows, catching her by surprise when he wraps his arms around her waist and spins her around a couple times before falling back into the water. She rolls off of him, laughing and trying to stay afloat.

Eventually, he stands and holds his hand out to her, which she gladly takes, letting him pull her up and walk back to their spot on the beach. A couple crew members toss them some towels from behind the camera, and Ross catches them both, throwing one on his shoulder and putting the other around Laura.

She smiles. "Thanks," she says, tugging the towel around her.

"Told you that would be fun," he says as takes his own towel to his hair.

She lightly hits him with her towel. "Whatever," she says.

"Whatever to you, too," he replies. Hanging the towel around his neck, he takes her hand and points down the beach. "Come on. We should walk a bit more before leaving."

She nods, then lets him lead her toward the pier. There, he slips his hand out of hers and wraps his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him as they walk. She puts her arm around his waist, then leans her head on his arm a little. They stay like this, quietly and comfortably, watching the horizon as the sun starts setting. They're not paying attention to the time until the director finally calls "Cut!" and tells them the shoot is over.

Laura lifts her head up slowly, not realizing how tired she was feeling until now. "We're done?" she asks.

Ross nods. "Guess so," he replies. He takes his arm from around her and holds his hand out. "Come on. I'll take you home."

She only gives his hand the quickest of glances before smiling up at him and placing her hand in his, entwining their fingers together. They say their thanks and good-byes to the crew, then walk back to Ross' car and drive on home.

* * *

The drive back to Laura's house is silent, with only the radio on playing quietly. It isn't awkward, but there's tension from both wanting to say something, yet not quite sure how to say it. So they say nothing, not until Ross is pulling into Laura's driveway 20 minutes later and parking the car. And, because he's such a nice guy, he gets out of the car and walks around to Laura's side, opening the door for her and then walking with her to her house.

"Well," Laura says after a quite minute of standing on her doorstep, "today was really fun."

Ross nods, a smile on his face. "Yeah, it was," he agrees. He takes a moment to think over his next words before continuing. "Maybe we could do this again sometime."

She believes he's talking about filming another music video when he adds, "But _without_ all the cameras."

She chuckles, slightly confused. Boldly, she asks, "Are you asking me out or something?"

He takes a step closer to her and takes her hand, entwining their fingers. "Or something," he says. "Unless you wanted it to be date."

She smiles, but it quickly fades. "Why now, Ross? Why are you asking me out now?"

He shrugs. "Because. It's like I've said before, I didn't want to ruin the relationship we already had. Or the chemistry we needed to have while acting as Austin & Ally. But hanging out with you today, I kinda realized I was wrong. We're too good of friends to ever have to worry about ruining our relationship. And half that chemistry we had on stage was real - at least, to me, it was.

"I want to go out with you, Laura. On a real date. Do you want to go out with me?"

She looks down in thought, but he places his hand on her cheek to tilt her head back up. She smiles.

"Are you sure about this?" she asks.

He nods. "I'm sure," he says. And, already knowing her answer, he quickly leans down and captures her lips with his own in a kiss, this one harder and deeper than any of the ones from earlier today. It's as if he was holding back his desire to kiss her until this moment, and now he can't seem to get enough. She can't seem to either, as she lets go of his hand to place both of hers on the back of his neck, running her fingers through his hair and tugging him closer to her. He removes his hand from her cheek and wraps his arms around her waist, deepening the kiss as he pulls her to him. He pulls back slightly, then leans in and kisses her once more, slowly and gently as if to savour the moment before pulling back again and resting his forehead on hers.

"So," he starts, "how's next weekend sound to you?"

She laughs. "It's a date," she says.

He smiles. "Guess it is," he replies.

Standing straight, he glances at his car still in the driveway, then turns back to Laura and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek before saying a final goodbye and walking off her porch and down the pathway. She watches from her spot by the door until he gets into his vehicle and drives down the road, getting farther and farther out of her sight until he turns a corner and is gone.

She looks down at her purse and digs through to find her house keys, a smile on her face even as she unlocks the door and closes it behind her.

Yeah. It was definitely a good idea to ask him to be in her video.

* * *

 **(1) I don't know how recording songs actually works, so this is probably an inaccurate representation, but. I tried.**

 **I still don't know what this was. I'm not even sure if I really like it, but it's not worst thing I've ever read, so I guess it's alright? Sure. Hopefully you guys thought so, too. Or did you hate it? Either way, you should tell me what you thought in a review. Those are pretty nice to receive.**

 **Thanks for reading! :)**


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